The Coen Brothers’ Netflix Series Is Now a Movie, And It’s Almost Finished

Major good movie news: All of a sudden there is a new Coen brothers movie, and it will be here in a matter of months, not years. Variety reports that while the Coen brothers had been working on an anthology Western series for Netflix called The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the project has now morphed into a movie, albeit one that will maintain the same anthology structure. And, best of all, the film is nearly finished.

Via Variety, here is the Coens’ statement on the news:

We’ve always loved anthology movies, especially those films made in Italy in the Sixties which set side-by-side the work of different directors on a common theme. Having written an anthology of Western stories we attempted to do the same, hoping to enlist the best directors working today. It was our great fortune that they both agreed to participate.

(“They both” being the Coens. Oh, those scamps.)

The Netflix series of Scruggs was supposed to be six episodes long; no word yet how long or how many stories will appear in the film. The title character is played by Tim Blake Nelson, and the cast also includes Zoe Kazan, Liam Neeson and Tom Waits. The film is also notable as the first time the Coens have shot digitally instead of on film.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs will premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month. It’s expected to premiere on Netlix later in the fall.